Senior Legal Counsel (FTC until July 2026)

Sky UK; Isleworth; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

Sky UK is seeking a Senior Legal Counsel for its Litigation, Anti-Piracy, and Intellectual Property team. The role requires a minimum of 5 years' experience, focusing on litigation, advising senior stakeholders, and providing strategic legal guidance. Join a collaborative team at one of Europe’s leading media companies, ensuring Sky's international interests are protected through innovative legal strategies and diverse teamwork.

Benefits

Generous pension package

Private healthcare

Discounted mobile and broadband

Sky Q for TV

Wide range of Sky VIP rewards

Qualifications

• Experience in UK court proceedings.
• Experience managing/coaching junior lawyers desirable.
• Experience in telecommunications and media industries.

Responsibilities

• Providing analysis and advice on IP and litigation risks.
• Managing anti-piracy civil litigation and criminal prosecution.
• Advising on contractual provisions to protect Sky's content.

Skills

Dispute resolution

Contractual interpretation

Strategic thinking

Anti-piracy expertise

Education

Minimum 5 years’ post-qualification experience

Job description

Want to do the best work of your life? With 24 million customers in 6 countries, make your mark at Europe’s leading media and entertainment brand. A workplace where you can proudly be yourself; our people make Sky a truly exciting and inclusive place to work.

We are recruiting for the role of Senior Legal Counsel within the Litigation, Anti-Piracy and Intellectual Property team to support on all areas.

This role is a senior position at the heart of the team, and will be focussed on litigation and anti-piracy. Experience of UK court proceedings and an ability to think strategically and advise senior stakeholders are a prerequisite. An ability to think creatively and “outside the box” will be key. You will have the opportunity to work with diverse Sky teams including content, distribution & partnerships, product, technology and legal both in the UK and in DE and IT, protecting Sky’s international interests. A collaborative approach is therefore essential. The role will offer a wide variety of cutting-edge contentious work and provide first-class opportunities for development and growth, both within the team and more broadly across the department.

What you’ll do:

• Providing analysis and advice to internal clients and stakeholders (the business or other members of the legal team) on potential IP and litigation risks, opportunities, and disputes with third parties.
• Taking ownership of matters which have escalated to litigation or pre-action stage and running those with the input of business/legal stakeholders;
• Providing advice on drafting and other matters at pre-contractual stage, with a view to protecting Sky’s position and minimising risks of disputes;
• Providing legal advice to support Sky UK’s Anti-Piracy team. This will require a creative mind-set and the confidence to advise senior stakeholders on a wide-range of legal issues. You will collaborate with security, investigative, technical, and communications stakeholders and with legal colleagues across the UK, IT and DE as well as Comcast and NBCU, and with third party Content Rights Holders.
• Managing anti-piracy civil litigation and criminal prosecution work;
• Considering, advising on and managing other ways to use legal processes to disrupt pirate activity.
• Advising on contractual provisions to protect Sky’s content and prevent piracy.
• Instructing outside law firms/counsel where necessary and managing their delivery and budget.
• Contributing to team training, knowhow and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Supporting more junior lawyers/trainees in the team.

What you’ll bring:

• Minimum 5 years’ post-qualification experience within a law firm or equivalent in-house
• Dispute resolution experience
• Experience of UK litigation procedure.
• Strong contractual interpretation skills
• Copyright experience · Non-UK disputes and IP experience
• Anti-piracy experience
• Exposure to Telecommunications and Media industries desirable

Team overview:

Legal

As a team, we pursue the highest standards and demonstrate commitment, integrity and judgement. We exist to add real value by sustainably providing the highest quality business-focussed legal expertise that keeps Sky competitive. Through our work we help to bring better content and innovation to all of our customers, better connecting them to more of what they love. Our vision is to create the Legal team of the future, together – operating at the heart of Sky, famous for adding value.

The Rewards:

There's one thing people can't stop talking about when it comes to #LifeAtSky: the perks. Here’s a taster:

• Sky Q, for the TV you love all in one place
• The magic of Sky Glass at an exclusive rate
• Discounted mobile and broadband
• A wide range of Sky VIP rewards and experiences

How you'll work:

We know the world has changed, and we want to offer our employees the chance to collaborate at our unique office spaces, whilst enjoying the convenience of working from home.

We've adopted a hybrid working approach to give more flexibility on where and how we work. You'll find out more about what this means for this role during the recruitment process.

Your office base:

Our Osterley Campus is a 10-minute walk from Syon Lane train station. Or you can hop on one of our free shuttle buses that run to and from Osterley, Gunnersbury, Ealing Broadway and South Ealing tube stations. There’s also plenty of bike shelters and showers.

On campus, you’ll find 13 subsidised restaurants, cafes, and a Waitrose. You can keep in shape at our subsidised gym, catch the latest shows and movies at our cinema, get your car washed and even get pampered at our beauty salon.

Want to do the best work of your life? With 24 million customers in 6 countries, make your mark at Europe’s leading media and entertainment brand. A workplace where you can proudly be yourself; our people make Sky a truly exciting and inclusive place to work.

We are recruiting for the role of Senior Legal Counsel within the Litigation, Anti-Piracy and Intellectual Property team to support on all areas.

This role is a senior position at the heart of the team, and will be focussed on litigation and anti-piracy. Experience of UK court proceedings and an ability to think strategically and advise senior stakeholders are a prerequisite. An ability to think creatively and “outside the box” will be key. You will have the opportunity to work with diverse Sky teams including content, distribution & partnerships, product, technology and legal both in the UK and in DE and IT, protecting Sky’s international interests. A collaborative approach is therefore essential. The role will offer a wide variety of cutting-edge contentious work and provide first-class opportunities for development and growth, both within the team and more broadly across the department.

What you’ll do:

• Providing analysis and advice to internal clients and stakeholders (the business or other members of the legal team) on potential IP and litigation risks, opportunities, and disputes with third parties.
• Taking ownership of matters which have escalated to litigation or pre-action stage and running those with the input of business/legal stakeholders;
• Providing advice on drafting and other matters at pre-contractual stage, with a view to protecting Sky’s position and minimising risks of disputes;
• Providing legal advice to support Sky UK’s Anti-Piracy team. This will require a creative mind-set and the confidence to advise senior stakeholders on a wide-range of legal issues. You will collaborate with security, investigative, technical, and communications stakeholders and with legal colleagues across the UK, IT and DE as well as Comcast and NBCU, and with third party Content Rights Holders.
• Managing anti-piracy civil litigation and criminal prosecution work;
• Considering, advising on and managing other ways to use legal processes to disrupt pirate activity.
• Advising on contractual provisions to protect Sky’s content and prevent piracy.
• Instructing outside law firms/counsel where necessary and managing their delivery and budget.
• Contributing to team training, knowhow and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Supporting more junior lawyers/trainees in the team.

What you’ll bring:

• Minimum 5 years’ post-qualification experience within a law firm or equivalent in-house
• Dispute resolution experience
• Experience of UK litigation procedure.
• Commercial Litigation experience
• Strong contractual interpretation skills
• Copyright experience · Non-UK disputes and IP experience
• Anti-piracy experience
• Exposure to Telecommunications and Media industries desirable
• Experience managing/coaching junior lawyers desirable

Team overview:

Legal

As a team, we pursue the highest standards and demonstrate commitment, integrity and judgement. We exist to add real value by sustainably providing the highest quality business-focussed legal expertise that keeps Sky competitive. Through our work we help to bring better content and innovation to all of our customers, better connecting them to more of what they love. Our vision is to create the Legal team of the future, together – operating at the heart of Sky, famous for adding value.

The Rewards:

There's one thing people can't stop talking about when it comes to #LifeAtSky: the perks. Here’s a taster:

• Sky Q, for the TV you love all in one place
• The magic of Sky Glass at an exclusive rate
• A generous pension package
• Private healthcare
• Discounted mobile and broadband
• A wide range of Sky VIP rewards and experiences

How you'll work:

We know the world has changed, and we want to offer our employees the chance to collaborate at our unique office spaces, whilst enjoying the convenience of working from home.

We've adopted a hybrid working approach to give more flexibility on where and how we work. You'll find out more about what this means for this role during the recruitment process.

Your office base:

Osterley:

Our Osterley Campus is a 10-minute walk from Syon Lane train station. Or you can hop on one of our free shuttle buses that run to and from Osterley, Gunnersbury, Ealing Broadway and South Ealing tube stations. There’s also plenty of bike shelters and showers.

On campus, you’ll find 13 subsidised restaurants, cafes, and a Waitrose. You can keep in shape at our subsidised gym, catch the latest shows and movies at our cinema, get your car washed and even get pampered at our beauty salon.

Inclusion:

At Sky we don’t just look at your CV. We’re more focused on who you are and your potential. We also know that everyone has a life outside work, so we’re happy to discuss flexible working.

We are a Disability Confident Accredited Employer, and welcome and encourage applications from all candidates. We will look to ensure a fair and consistent experience for all and will make reasonable adjustments to support you where appropriate. Please flag any adjustments you need to your recruiter as early as you can.

Why wait?

Apply now to build an amazing career and be part of a brilliant team. We can’t wait to hear from you.

To find out more about working with us, search #LifeAtSky on social media. A job you love to talk about.

Just so you know: if your application is successful, we’ll ask you to complete a criminal record check. And depending on the role you have applied for and the nature of any convictions you may have, we might have to withdraw the offer.

Life at Sky

There’s more to our work than work. We’ve built an inclusive culture where we can learn from each other and innovate together. There’s plenty of opportunities for you to explore what you’re passionate about.